An Introduction to Creative Evolution by Paz RheinsteinDec 26, 2002
I first decided to use the words 'Creative Evolution' because I was trying to come up with an acronym for the word 'PEACE': 'Planet Earth Alliance for Creative Evolution' was the final choice for the name of a non-profit organization my wife Aliah and I started in 1992. Like Creative Evolution, Peace is a word that immediately challenges the person using it to define their terms and to say something that is not trite or cliche. Creative Evolution expresses my approach to understanding the world and resolving conflicts: a balance between seemingly opposing viewpoints that in my view are really 'two sides of the same coin'.
Creativity focuses on the personal, inward aspect of peace. Creativity is the way I discover my unique gift to the world, the way I go beyond my most difficult obstacles, and the way I find joy and appreciation for the life I have been given. Creativity recognizes the value of my individuality and the importance of protecting my right to make choices and to experience the mysterious process of self-discovery. Creativity in a biological sense is also how we keep the human race alive. Western Culture, with its emphasis on individual freedom and choice, is the epitome of the creative approach. The consumer-driven marketplace at the heart of the Western economy is based on the idea that social values such as respect and tolerance are most likely to grow through individuals being given the freedom to pursue what they love and are best at doing.
Evolution focuses on the context of individuals' activities: the society in which they live, the rules that govern their actions, the results of their actions. While George Bush Jr. discusses the need to protect freedom (2002), many people are questioning his and our motivation from an evolutionary standpoint: is the US protecting freedom or protecting its desire to continue its habit of conspicuous consumption while most of the rest of the world has little (5% of the world's population using 80% of its natural resources)? Just as British Culture was a mask for a military empire, some see US democracy and culture as a thin mask for economic and military dominance. On the other hand, America's evolutionary values of the past are one of the reasons it is in power at this time: freedom of invention and communication have allowed America to develop faster and often better products (and weapons). The evolutionary view is a macrocosmic view of humanity and social interaction. Buckminster Fuller's 'spaceship earth' concept is a good example of evolutionary theory: he pointed out that from the standpoint of Earth's resources, we would be better off paying half the people to stay home so that we didn't have to spend our non-renewable resources. Whereas the success of creativity is defined by the individual, evolution is more like politics in that there are many different angles on each topic. This diversity does not mean that 'anything goes', just that there is no absolute evolutionary standard. Evolution is conditioned by our current context: as creativity is relative to individuals, evolution is relative to groups and societies.
For the purpose of our discussion, the key is to balance these perspectives. The downside of creativity can be seen in the millions of Americans that spend the majority of their portion of our abundance of resources and technology to compete with each other for social recognition, while major portions of the world's population are starving or oppressed. Individual creativity depends on a constructive social context in order to be more than self-obsession or an isolated voice of protest. True creativity does not ignore other people, but includes them. At best, creative expression can inspire people rather than force them to do what is for the common good.
The downside of the evolutionary approach are those who try to force their ideas on other people because they 'know better', in the extreme, totalitarianism. The economic and political failure of the USSR is widely seen in the West as proof of the downside of an overbearing government. Yet now that the United States has become so powerful and influential, we are subject to the same issues on a global scale. True evolutionary ideas are evolutionary in both content (i.e., the goal of benefiting as many people as possible) and process (i.e., arrived at through open discussion and the free agreement of individuals).
My goal in developing this concept is to help people to reach common ground. In my work as a computer programmer, I have seen the power and efficiency of a community of people agreeing on their terms and sharing their premises. While having the same evolutionary challenges as other cultural achievements, the unprecedented development of computer technology in the last 50 years shows us the creative power of the human mind in action. Now we must find a way to include the human soul in the effort: our values, the meaning and purpose of our actions. For me, values and purpose are the ultimate source of evolutionary information.
A few general points:
1. The initial definition of this concept is a primarily evolutionary activity: its purpose is to help define a constructive context for discussion and collaboration. As with all ideas, it awaits understanding and creative application by individuals to fulfill its purpose. In other words, it is what you think or do after reading this that defines the communication as much as what I have presented.
2. On the other hand, I have tried to be as creative as possible (within my own limitations) in presenting the information by connecting with my own passion and experience. I will continue to exercise my creativity in clarifying and applying this concept.
3. As I frequently imply, Creativity and Evolution do converge as each is carried to its logical conclusion (i.e., all paths eventually lead to truth). Creative living is perhaps the fastest means of individual and thus social evolution. Evolutionary thought and action require vision and thus creativity and tend towards social systems that promote individual freedom. I use this concept as a way of helping myself to stay centered in my thinking: the two concepts help me to balance each other. The real opposite of Creativity is fear and resentment, the opposite of evolution is the gratification of personal desire for its own sake.
4. In addition to these two concepts, I find it very helpful to observe whether a given issue has a personal, interpersonal, or collective focus. On a personal level, creativity is what is fun and stimulating for me, while evolution is what is challenging me to 'do the right thing': again converging more and more in the 'self-realized' state of being. On the interpersonal level, creativity is what sparks me and those with whom I interact to collaborate and get excited about each other, while evolution is how we learn to respect, appreciate, and support each other in what they are going through. On a collective level, creativity is group celebration and collaboration while evolution is diplomacy, conscious community and efforts to improve group dynamics. By observing which of these levels is emphasized in a given situation, I can get a better sense of what I can do to address it: each level has its own 'laws of operation'. In one sense, creativity is primarily focused on a personal level and evolution on a collective level (and the process of balance corresponds to the interpersonal). For the purpose of our discussion, however, each of these three levels of human experience can benefit from the paradigm of Creative Evolution.
5. As the previous discussion implies, both creativity and evolution are focused in the present moment: both are relative to what is happening and are not permanent or 'right for everyone at all times in all situations'. Both are constructive responses: creativity to the question 'how can I have fun and express joy?', evolution to the question 'how can I fulfill my purpose as a human being and continue to grow in my ability to benefit others as well as myself through all my thoughts and actions?'. What may be highly evolutionary in one situation or for one individual or group may not be for another, either because it is 'ahead' or 'behind' of their growth curve.
6. One other scale that can aid in understanding is whether a given issue has an 'inward' or 'outward' focus. We all have an 'inner' version of the world which we interact with as much or more than the people around us. In this sense, I can relate to another individual or group when I am not with them, sometimes more so than when I am. Whether another individual is making me feel excited or guilty, or a group is making me feel motivated or isolated, the influence of the key 'players' in our lives extends way beyond our actual interactions with them. Thus we can creatively evolve all of our relationships in the privacy of our own thoughts (one very powerful and effective way of doing this is prayer and meditation). Technology adds another dimension: we can also relate to others by recording our thoughts and feelings in writing, sound and image, allowing us to exercise a higher level of choice about what we share and what we don't. In general, Creative Evolution favors the inward approach first to allow the individual to process their 'shadow' material without causing unnecessary conflict with others. There are times, however, when only external communication or action will suffice: honest expression of painful emotions or righteous anger can be the only way to save a relationship that might recede into isolation and resentment otherwise. The key is to 'own our own issues' and to not blame others (this last observation being an evolutionary insight into an interpersonal and/or collective issue).Summary:
When approached with a challenging or confusing issue, ask yourself or each person in a relationship or group the following: (these four levels apply to those who are problem solving as well as to the problem you are focusing on)
1. Creativity: Can this issue/I benefit from applying creativity? Are there other ways to think about it that will make me laugh or help me rethink my approach in a resolution-oriented way? Is there something I need to do first to 'unblock' or 'get my creative juices flowing'?
2. Evolution: Am I aware of how my choices relating to this issue will effect me and others over time? What are the implications of these actions? What would people who are important to me think about this? (This last question is a particularly good one. While the human mind can bend itself to understand many things, the soul has a natural way of marking its primary issues by choosing people who represent those issues. Thus finding out about a person's 'significant others' can be an excellent way of discovering their 'significant issues': one of the primary insights of modern psychology).
3. Personal / Interpersonal / Collective: What is the primary level on which this issue is operating? Are there any particular 'rules' relating to this level that need to be taken into account? Example: a performer has a deeply felt need for recognition, yet has never trained themselves in social standards of performance. Flip side: a performer trains themselves for years and years from fear of facing their audience. In all cases the analysis does not solve the problem, but helps to understand how to move towards resolution.
4. Inward / Outward: In the above example of a performer, there is a need for healing and then action both inward and outward. The key is to figure out which is which. By processing past experience and fears (a heckler in the audience that 'ruined' a performance: outward to inward), creativity can be applied to design a symbolic expression that will address the specific issues (writing a show in which an actor plays a heckler and the responses to the heckler are part of the show : inward to outward). From an evolutionary standpoint, the writer might decide to donate a portion of the profits (however meager) to a charity to feed the hungry and mentioning their gratitude at having the freedom and opportunity to develop their creative expression while others may not.My personal vision:
Many people, by healing their creativity and personal self-worth will gradually come to see that they share a common interest with the others near and far.
Cynics will be awakened to their common humanity by seeing the holes in the 'logic of fear'.
Idealists will find a way to understand their challenges and protect themselves against being overwhelmed by worldly concerns.
